Gaming Device and Ticket for Interactive Instant Lottery Games

ABSTRACT

An instant lottery ticket and gaming device that improves user interaction and excitement. The gaming device makes the fixed outcome result of a ticket appear more like a casino-type or other multiple iteration game. Game configuration and interaction between the user and the gaming device depends upon user preferences and any limitations imposed by the lottery authority.

REFERENCES CITES, U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

6,869,358 March, 2005 Yacenda 463/17 6,736,324 May, 2004 Behm, et al.235/487 6,607,439 August, 2003 Schneier, et al. 463/17 6,572,107 June,2003 Walker, et al. 273/139 US 2003/0045340 A1 March, 2003 Roberts, etal. 463/17

REFERNCES CITED, OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Generating two-dimensional barcodes,http://www.idautomation.com/java/dmservlet.html

UW grad eases Internet use on cellphones, Imprint newspaper, Universityof Waterloo, Jun. 1 8, 2004,

http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/story.php?f=2&t=5236&i=&v=f&story=5236

Semacode Corporation, URL barcodes for ubiquitous computing,http://semacode.org

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Instant lottery games are very popular games of chance. A wide varietyof games are available to meet the demands and desires of users. Thegames balance the excitement of playing a scratch-off type of game withmeeting the legal obligations of the controlling authority. It is notuncommon for a single lottery ticket to have mutiple games or for gamesto have dozens of scratch-off spots.

Although instant lottery tickets do not act like casino games, manylottery games attempt to simulate them. For example, poker hands mightbe uncovered when the user scratches off spots to reveal the cards. Inthe casino game of poker, the outcome of a poker hand depends uponchoices the user makes, as well as luck and the response of otherplayers. When an individual instant lottery ticket is produced, it has afixed outcome. The user is free to scratch off spots in any order, butthe outcome is always the same.

Instant lottery tickets offer the convienence of purchase, whereas theability to play casino-style games requires the user to be present in acasino, or via some kind of electronic connection as permitted by law.

The success of instant lottery tickets depends in part to frequentchanges in the gaming experience. In its simplest form, an instantlottery ticket can have a single box which is scratched off to revealthe value of the card. However, this type of game is usually reservedfor store and product promotions. People are attracted to certain typesof instant games, which explain one reason why there are so many formsof instant lottery tickets.

It is advantageous to separate the instant lottery ticket value andpurchase from the game used to reveal the winning amount, if any. Once aperson visits a lottery agent and purchases an instant ticket of somedenomination, the outcome of the purchase is fixed. If you provide thepurchaser with the ability to customize the gaming experience, theenjoyment of the game is increased, promoting the purchase of additionallottery tickets. Also, the need to stock dozens of different instanttickets of the same denomination is diminished.

Cellphones afford an excellent gaming platform because of their wide usethroughout the world. Camera phones are also common and two-dimensionalbarcode software exists to read internet url's by taking a picture ofthe barcode. If this technology is extended to import instant lotteryticket information into a cell phone, the cell phone platform becomes acomplete gaming solution.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention describes a method where an instant lottery ticketcontains a hidden area containing the ticket outcome. This gamingpayload contains enough information such that a hand-held, or other suchelectronic device can act as the user interface to enhance the gamingexperience. Once the ticket payload is revealed, often by scratching thecover obscuring the information, it can be used to play a variety ofgames. The payload can be in human readable format, but does notnecessarily allow the user to determine the outcome of the ticket.

To play the instant lottery game, the payload information is input intothe electronic gaming device. The gaming device can be of many forms,including a personal computer, hand-held casino game device, or cellularphone. The input means to load the gaming device with the gaming payloaddepends upon the type of gaming device used. Methods include manualkeyboard entry, entry via a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcodescanner, magnetic strip, or via a camera to acquire an image of thepayload information.

The gaming device is configured by the user with certain gameparameters. For example, the user might configure their gaming device toplay video poker with random play for 10 hands. Although the finaloutcome is fixed, the gaming device will deal poker hands so the finalwinnings will match the fixed outcome.

To play the game, the device's user interface is used to interact withthe user. The limitation of a gaming device depends upon its input anddisplay capabilities. Although no user input is required, the gamingdevice usually has at least one input, such as a button, and sufficientdisplay for the gaming experience. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, the gaming device is a cellular phone with a graphicaldisplay. This allows many different games to be played, such asemulating a slot machine, or traditional casino games such as rouletteand poker.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objectives and features of the invention will become more readilyapparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plain view of an instant lottery ticket according to onepresently preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram depicting how the instant lottery ticketpayload can be encrypted;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram depicting how the instant lottery ticketpayload is decrypted by the gaming device;

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram depicting the gaming device;

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart describing the behavior of the gaming devicewhen it emulates a simple slot machine;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the followingdescription of the present invention is illustrative only and not in anyway limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggestthemselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of thisdisclosure. The various features of the invention will now be describedwith respect to the figures, in which like parts are identified with thesame reference characters.

FIG. 1 is a view of an instant lottery ticket 105. In most respects thedesign of ticket 105 can be as varied as any instant ticket marketed bylotteries today. The ticket contains a payload portion 110 and avalidation portion 115. In terms of todays instant tickets, payload 110contains the actual scratch-off regions that comprise the game. In thisinvention, payload 110 contains sufficient information about the game inorder for an electronic game to be played on an electronic gamingdevice. The outcome of the instant lottery ticket, i.e. the winningvalue of the ticket, if any, is encoded in the payload. The result ofthe electronic game will always match the value of ticket 105. Payload110 is protected from being read, either visually or electronically. Inthe preferred embodiment of the invention, payload 110 is covered by anopaque, removable scratch-off layer as found on currently instantlottery tickets. To enable validation and redemption, a validationportion 115 contains information intended only for the lotterycontrolling authority. The use and encoding of the validation portion115 is the same as used by current instant lottery tickets. Some lotteryauthorities can combine payload 110 and validation portion 115 into asingle scratch-off area, similar to how they are often used today.

Payload 110 contains numerous fields to describe the particulars of theinstant lottery ticket 105. Payload fields include information about theissuing authority, ticket denomination, type of instant game, expirationdate, outcome of the ticket, winning increment, game restrictions, andchecksum information. The issuing authority id allows the ticket to listwho issued the ticket and can be used by the electronic gaming device tofollow certain rules defined by the controlling authority. The payloadcan also include the ticket denomination which can prove useful whendetermining the outcome of bets as the game progresses. The payload canalso include the expiration date to remind users when and if the instantlottery ticket will or has expired. The payload contains the outcome ofthe ticket and represents the value of the ticket, if any, when theticket is redeemed. A winning increment can also be specified in thepayload to specify the minimum amount which can be won at any step whilethe game progresses. The payload can also specify gaming restrictionswhich the electronic gaming device must adhere to. The gamingrestrictions can include, but are not limited to, which games can beused to play the instant lottery game, or how many individual games orbets comprise the entire game.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, payload 110 is encryptedon the instant lottery ticket so the winning amount cannot be determiendunless read by an approved gaming device. FIG. 2 shows a block diagramto describe how the payload information is encrypted. Procedure 205shows how an unencrypted lottery payload is transformed into anencrypted lottery payload. Generator 225 is responsible for computingthe payload information for an individual instant lottery ticket.Generator 225 is identical to the step performed by existing instantlottery ticket fabrication. The Lottery authority 210 generates aprivate key and a public key using public-key encryption technology. Theprivate key is a secret key retained by the lottery authority andencypts the payload by encryptor 230. Encryptor 230 can perform anysuitable encryption technology, but in the preferred invention the RSAalgorithm is used for encryption and decryption. The encrypted payloadis passed to lottery printer 235 to generate the actual instant lotteryticket. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the lottery agencyid and checksum information is stored in an unencrypted format. Thisallows the gaming device to determine what authority issued the instantlottery ticket, and to verify the payload information has not beencorrupted. The lottery authority 210 makes their public key available toapproved gaming device manufacturers 220. Device manufacturer 220generates a private key and a public key using public-key encryptiontechnology. Encryptor 240 is used to encrypt the lottery authoritypublic key using the gaming device private key. This encrypted key isstored inside gaming device 245. Gaming device 245 can be any suitablehardware or software device, but in the preferred embodiment of theinvention, gaming device 245 is a software application that runs on acellular telephone. The encrypted lottery authority key is stored in thegaming device in encrypted format. It is only decrypted during theprocess of decrypting payload 110. The encrypted lottery authority keycan be permanently stored on the gaming device, or loaded on demand whenan unknown instant lottery ticket is used by the device.

FIG. 3 shows the decryption step of the invention to recover theunencrypted payload. Procedure 305 describes how the encrypted payloadis converted into its unencrypted format. The gaming device public keyis stored inside gaming device 245. The encrypted gaming device key isalso stored inside gaming device 245. Decryptor 310 is used to recoverthe lottery authority public key from its encrypted version. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the lottery authority public keyis stored in temporary memory and is deleted as soon as possible. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention, decryption uses the RSAalgorithm. Lottery payload reader 315 is used to read the payloadinformation from the lottery ticket. The reader can work in a variety ofthe ways, including, but not limited to, one and two dimensional barcodereading, and optical character recognition. Decryptor 320 will decryptthe payload extracted by reader 315 using the lottery authority publickey produced by decryptor 310. The unencrypted payload produced byDecryptor 320 can be read to determine the winning value of the ticketas well as configuration and limitations for the gaming device. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the payload is stored intemporary memory and is slightly encrypted to make it more difficult tobe monitored by electronic and software debugging devices.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the components that comprise the gamingdevice 405 (also referred to as gaming device 245 in earlier figures)according to the invention. The gaming device 405 has a reader 425 (alsoreferred to as reader 315 in earlier figures) which causes the encryptedpayload information to be input to gaming device 405. Possible devicesfor reader 425 include, but it not limited to, a keyboard or keypad, oneand two dimensional barcode scanners, magnetic strip or an electroniccamera. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, an electroniccamera is used to input an image of the encrypted payload into gamingdevice 405. Existing barcode software will extract the encrypted payloadfrom a picture of a two-dimensional barcode. Reader 425 includes theability to convert the encrypted payload into an internal electronicrepresentation as well as compute an unencrypted version of the payload.The unencrypted payload is made available to control 410. Control 410coordinates the activities of gaming device 405 to play an electroniclottery game. Configuration 420 contains user-defined information aboutthe desired game or games to be played, as well as options specific to aparticular game. For example, if gaming device 405 is configured to playa simple slot machine, the probabaility of frequent payouts (alsoreferred to as a loose machine) can be set, as well as the number ofpulls allowed to play the entire game. The user interacts with thegaming device with input 430. Input 430 is not a mandatory elementbecause the gaming device can be configured to automatically play a gamewhen the payload is accepted by reader 425. In the preferredconfiguration, the input device is the keypad and associated buttons ona cellular phone. The status of the game is shown on display 435. Somekind of display is required and must at a minimum show the final resultsof the game (i.e. the fixed outcome of the ticket). In the preferredconfiguration, the display is the screen of a cell phone capable ofdisplaying a graphical representation of the game. Gaming logic 415 isresponsible for generating the outcome after each step of the game.Gaming logic 415 understands the rules for at least one game, buttypically can play numerous games. The type of game played depends uponinformation found in payload 110 or stored in configuration 420.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating a method 500 according to theinvention of playing a simple game. This flow chart is illustrative andnot in any way limiting. The process begins with step 501. In step 501,the gaming device initializes itself with the current game setupconfiguration and decodes the encrypted payload. In step 505, the gamingdevice waits for user input. In the case of a slot machine, and in thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the software waits for the userto enter a key on the cell phone keypad. In step 510 a check is made tosee if the user wants to continue playing, or to restart the game. Ifthe user restarts the game, control continues with step 501 and thegaming device is reinitialized. When the user instructs the gamingdevice to continue, control continues with step 515. In step 515, asingle iteration of the game is played. The outcome from the step iscomputed using the gaming configuration and limitations imposed by thepayload. When all iterations of the game are run, the outcome of thegame will match the winning value of the ticket. In step 520 informationabout the current iteration, as well as the totals for the game aredisplayed. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, step 520 alsocontains a graphical element to enhance the enjoyment of playing thegame. In step 525, the gaming device checks to see if there areadditional iterations of the game. If there are more iterations, controlpasses to step 505. If the game is finished, control is passed to step530 and the final results are shown. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, graphics play a heavy role in step 530 to congratulate theuser for winning the game, or encouraging the user to play a new game.

A further understanding of the invention may be attained by reference tothe following C# program. The self-contained program demonstrates theprocess of running a game using information from a payload and userconfiguration. The program emulates a simple slot machine with randompayout after each step. When the game is complete the payout equals thevalue encoded in the payload.

Using System;  namespace Sim  { // ********* * // * * // * Enum * // * *// ********* * // List is not limiting; it is illustrative of possiblegaming types public enum eGameType {  eNone = 0, // No game. Returnticket outcome immediately  eSLineSlot = 1, // Simple, Single, pay-lineslot machine  eMLineSlot = 2, // Multi pay-line slot machine eVideoPoker = 3, // Classic video poker, including payouts }; //************ * // * * // * Payload * // * * // ************ * // Samplepayload represents a classical instant lottery game where // money iswon. Payload can be extended to cover non-monetary // prizes as well.public struct PayLoad {  public uint authority; // Issuing authority id public float denomination; // Ticket denomination  public uintgametype; // Type of game  public DateTime expires; // Expiration dateof game  public float outcome; // Outcome of ticket  public floatincrement; // Winning increment.  public uint restrictions; // Gamingrestrictions  public uint checksum; // Checksum }; //****************** * // * * // * Configuration * // * * //****************** * // User configuration parameters public structConfiguration {  public uint attempts; // Number of gaming attempts; public eGameType gametype; // Type of game  public float gametightness;// Tightness of game, (0-1). // Higher the number, lower // the payout}; // *********** * // * * // * Reader * // * * // *********** * // Readthe payload from the ticket by the input means available // to thedevice. In this program, the Reader generates a fixed // payload publicclass Reader {  public Reader ( )  { payload_.authority = 0;payload_.denomination = 5.0F; payload_.gametype =(uint) eGameType.eSLineSlot; payload_.expires = newDateTime (DateTime.Now.Year + 1, DateTime.Now.Month, DateTime.Now.Day) ;payload_.outcome = 10.0F; // A winning ticket payload_.increment =0.50F; payload_.restrictions = 0; payload_.checksum = 0;  }  publicPayLoad payload  { get { return payload_; }  }  private PayLoadpayload_; }; // ***************** * // * * // * DeviceConfig * // * * //***************** * // Device has local configuration parameters whichthe user can // alter. In this program the device configuration isfixed. public class DeviceConfig {  public DeviceConfig ( )  {config_.attempts = 10; config_.gametype = eGameType.eSLineSlot;config_.gametightness = 0.50F;  }  public Configuration configuration  {get { return config_; }  }  private Configuration config_; }; //************ * // * * // * Display * // * * // ************ * // Displaydevice. In this program, the console is used public class Display { public void display (int iteration, uint total, float winning, floatbalance)  { Console.WriteLine  (“iteration {0} of {1}: Winning = {2}Total Won = {3}”,   iteration, total, winning, balance);  } }; //************* * // * * // * Controls * // * * // ************* * //Controls device. In this program, no controls are used. public classControls {  // Wait for a user control to be activated and return thestatus  public uint wait ( )  { return 0;  } }; // ********* * // * *// * Game * // * * // ********* * class Game {  public Game (PayLoadpayload, Configuration configuration)  { this.payload = payload;this.configuration = configuration; remaining =this.configuration.attempts; balance = 0.0F;  }  // Perform a singlegaming iteration. Returns the winning amount,  // if any, during theiteration  public float iteration ( )  {  float winning = 0.0F;  if(remaining == 0) return winning;  // Remaining winnings to distribute float todistribute = (payload.outcome − balance);  if (todistribute <0.0F)  { // This is possible if the game has a “cost” associated with //each round. For this program, the cost is zero so a // negative valuerepresents a serious error balance = payload.outcome; todistribute =0.0F;  }  // Number of “increments” that can be awarded to the user. int inc = (int) Math.Floor (todistribute / payload.increment);  if(remaining > 1)  { // Use a random number to determine the win for thisround. // The looseness is a (0-1) value to multiply the random //number by. Random random = new Random ( ); float r = random.Next (1,1000) / 1000.0F; // Compute the number of increments to payout. In this// program, the payout is reduced by the number of iterations //remaining. This could also use a lookup table to weight the //probability of a payout as the game proceeeds. The // probabilityfunction should also take into account the // dynamics of the game youare emulating. int npayout = (int) Math.Floor  (inc *configuration.gametightness * r / remaining); winning =payload.increment * npayout;  }  else  { // On the last iteration,return any remaining balance. This // simplifies the math. An alternateway is to modify the // random number to return a number that becomes1.0 on the // last iteration. winning = todistribute;  }  remaining−−; balance += winning;  return winning; } // Remaining iterations publicuint Remaining {  get { return remaining; } } public float Balance { get { return balance; } } // Gaming constants and parameters privatePayLoad payload; // Ticket payload private Configuration configuration;// Device configuration // Gaming variables private uint remaining; //Gaming attempts remaining private float balance; // Balance ///<summary> /// Play a game /// </summary> [STAThread] static voidMain(string[] args) {  Reader reader = new Reader ( );  Display display= new Display ( );  Controls controls = new Controls ( );  DeviceConfigconfig = new DeviceConfig ( );  Game game = new Game (reader.payload,config.configuration);  int iteration = 0;  while (game.Remaining > 0) { controls.wait ( ); float winning = game.iteration ( ); iteration++;display.display (iteration, config.configuration.attempts, winning,game.Balance);  } }  } }

1. An instant lottery gaming system comprising: a. A lottery ticket having a removable portion concealing instant game information including the fixed outcome of the ticket; b. A reader means to input lottery ticket information into the gaming device; c. An input means whereby the lottery player can interact with the lottery game; d. A display means to show the user the current status of the game and current winnings, if any; e. A configuration means to hold user gaming preferences; f. A gaming logic means to play one or more lottery games; f. A controller means to manage the operation of the gaming device.
 2. The lottery gaming system of claim 1 wherein the information on the lottery ticket is encrypted so the outcome of the ticket cannot be determined without using the gaming device.
 3. The lottery gaming system of claim 1 wherein the reader means reads the encrypted lottery ticket information and converts it to its unencrypted form.
 4. The lottery gaming system of claim 1 wherein the gaming device is a cellular phone with integrated keypad, graphical display, and digital camera.
 5. The lottery gaming system of claim 4 where the gaming system runs as a software component on the cellular phone.
 6. The lottery gaming system of claim 1 wherein the gaming logic emulates popular casino games and other games of chance, and permits multiple gaming attempts to increase player enjoyment.
 7. The lottery gaming system of claim 1 wherein the configuration means saves user preferences in non-volatile storage allowing a new game to start immediately when a lottery ticket is read by the reader means.
 8. A lottery ticket comprising a removable portion to reveal instant game information that requires an electronic gaming device to determine the winning value of the ticket by playing an interactive game.
 9. A lottery ticket of claim 8 wherein the game information is encrypted such that it can only be recognized by devices approved by the controlling lottery authority.
 10. A method of conducting a lottery comprising the steps of: a. accepting instant lottery information from a ticket; b. applying user configuration to determine what game to play, how long the game will last, and game specific parameters; c. optionally restricting the game choice and parameters to limitations imposed by the information on the lottery ticket; d. interactively playing the game showing gaming information after each step of the game; e. displaying the final, fixed outcome of the lottery ticket.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of accepting instant lottery information consists of reading the fixed outcome of the ticket as well as the ticket price, expiration date, and gaming limitations.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of restricting the game choice and parameters consists of enforcing limitations imposed by the lottery authority when the game is played and overrides any user specified configuration. 